Eyes on the Street

Yesterday the Tri-State Transportation Campaign tweeted this photo of the new Eighth Avenue bike lane alignment between 31st Street and 33rd Street. On this stretch, there's no longer physical protection for cyclists, and motorists can double-park in the bike lane. What gives?

New Yorkers are told to notify 311 about sidewalks that need to be cleared of snow and ice. That's what I did after I came across the 214th Street steps on Saturday, but as of today my request has yet to be acted on.

After years of delays, work began today to rebuild the 215th Step-Street in Inwood.

The story of the Bergen Street bike lane, and the 78th precinct, keeps getting better.

Streetsblog asked and you delivered. Earlier we sent out a call for photos of snowy streets where drivers or plows had cleared a path while leaving much of the remaining the asphalt untouched. It's an easy way to visualize the opportunities for permanent sidewalk extensions like like neckdowns and bulb-outs -- but you have to snap a photo before it melts.

When we last checked in on the intersection of 114th Street and 34th Avenue in September, construction was about to start on a new pedestrian island and crosswalk leading to an existing path next to the Whitestone Expressway [PDF]. Now, work is nearly complete as winter sets in, and pedestrians and cyclists have a safer crossing to the path.

The intersection of Liberty Avenue and 101st Avenue sits on the border of Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, and Ozone Park, Queens. A few blocks from the A train and surrounded by small businesses, it's a natural hub for the neighborhood, but the road configuration gave over large areas of the angled intersection to cars. Last year, the Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services Corp. (BACDYS) applied to DOT's plaza program, and last month, the finishing touches were put on the new plaza space.

Two months after a presentation to Manhattan Community Board 6's transportation committee, and less than one month after the full board voted to support the plan, DOT crews were on Second Avenue today painting new stripes to convert the buffered bike lane in Kips Bay to the parking-protected variety.

The Bronx River Greenway has given many South Bronx residents a place to feel comfortable biking, but the streets nearby are often filled with speeding drivers navigating sometimes-confusing intersections. A project adding bike lanes, curb extensions, and lane striping aimed to fix that -- and since the end of the summer residents have seen some of the results. An anonymous reader who lives in Soundview and commutes by bike through the area sent in some photos showing the changes.